BREAKING NEWS: JOHNSON'S KILLER REPORTEDLY KILLED

[Josephine96]

American Hostage's Suspected Murderer Reported Killed
News Reported By Arab TV

POSTED: 12:05 pm EDT June 18, 2004
UPDATED: 6:01 pm EDT June 18, 2004
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Al-Arabiya satellite network is reporting that al-Qaida's purported top man in Saudi Arabia -- the chief suspect in the beheading of American contractor Paul Johnson -- has been killed.

U.S. and Saudi officials have not confirmed the news.

AP Image
In a statement dated June 15, a group calling itself Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula said it would kill U.S. hostage Paul Johnson (pictured) if the Saudi government didn't release militants within 72 hours.
The man, Abdulaziz Issa Abdul-Mohsin al-Moqrin, is thought to be the leader of a group known as al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which has claimed responsibility for Johnson's beheading and for most anti-Westerner attacks the past two months. He was believed to have played a role in last month's attacks on housing compounds in the Saudi capital and other attacks in the kingdom.

U.S. officials confirmed Friday that Johnson, who was kidnapped Saturday in Saudi Arabia, was beheaded.

Johnson's body was found Friday after the al-Qaida group that kidnapped him posted a statement on an Islamic Web site saying it had killed him.

The site is also displaying graphic photos of what it said is his beheaded body. One shows a man's head being held by a hand, with its face pointing toward the camera. The others show a beheaded body on a bed, with a severed head in the small of its back.

Al-Arabiya satellite network, which first aired word that the American contractor had been killed, said there is also videotape of the beheading.

Johnson's captors had set Friday as a deadline for Saudi officials to release their al-Qaida captives. They said they would kill him if their demand wasn't met. The Saudis had rejected the demand.

An adviser to Saudi Arabia's prince said at a press conference Friday that the kingdom did everything it could to find Johnson and is "deeply sorry" that wasn't enough.

Adel al-Jubeir said Johnson's killing by al-Qaida militants was an "attack against humanity" that has "no justification whatsoever." He vowed the Saudis will "leave no stone unturned" in finding Johnson's killers and bringing them to justice.

As he spoke at Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington, Al-Jubeir said Saudi forces were engaged in a fierce firefight with al-Qaida militants in Riyadh. He said several terrorists had been killed, but that it's unknown whether they were involved in Johnson's killing.

Al-Jubeir's voice shook as he said Johnson "lived a peaceful life" in Saudi Arabia and made many friends "who will mourn his loss."

Security officials say police have cordoned off the area where Johnson's body was found, about 25 miles northeast of Riyadh.

The U.S. officials said al-Qaida's purported top man in Saudi Arabia is considered the chief suspect in Johnson's killing.



Bush Says Action Will Not Affect Resolve
Powell: Beheading An Act Of 'Barbarism'
The man, Abdulaziz Issa Abdul-Mohsin al-Moqrin, is thought to be the leader of a group known as Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which has claimed responsibility for most anti-Westerner attacks the past two months. He was believed to have played a role in last month's attacks on housing compounds in the Saudi capital and other attacks in the kingdom.

President George W. Bush said there's "no justification whatsoever" for Johnson's murder.

Bush told reporters shortly before leaving Seattle Friday that the American's killing in Saudi Arabia shows the "evil nature" of the enemy. He said Johnson's murder shows the "evil nature" of the enemy. He said the kidnappers are trying to "get us to retreat from the world," but that America "will not be intimidated by these kind of extremist thugs."

He said the killing should remind everyone that the United States has to chase the enemy and bring them to justice "before they hurt other Americans."

Vice President Dick Cheney commented on the beheading during a stop in Colorado Friday.

"This horrendous act shows once again the nature of the enemy that were facing in the war on terror. They have no shame, not a shred of decency, and no mercy even for the innocent," Cheney told a group of aircraft workers in Englewood, Colo. "America will hunt down (the) killers, find them one by one and destroy them."

Secretary of State Colin Powell called the beheading "an act of barbarism." He said Johnson was simply an innocent man who was doing his job and trying to help people.

The diplomat said the incident will cause the United States and its Saudi colleagues to ramp up their efforts to go after terrorists "wherever they are."

In the meantime, Powell said his thoughts are with Johnson's family members. He said they've shown "a great deal of courage" since Johnson was kidnapped last week.

In their statement, the militants who kidnapped Johnson said the killing is a lesson to Americans and their allies -- that anybody who steps into Saudi Arabia faces a similar fate.

The statement said Johnson was an "infidel" who "got his fair treatment." The group said the killing was "in answer" to what it promised. The group said it wanted to let Johnson "taste something from what Muslims tasted" from Apache helicopter fire and missiles.

Johnson, a Lockheed Martin employee, worked on the choppers' targeting and night-vision systems. He was kidnapped Saturday by a group believed to be led by al-Qaida's top man in Saudi Arabia.

Johnson's captors aired a video of him Tuesday, saying they would kill him unless Saudi Arabia released all al-Qaida prisoners within 72 hours. The kidnappers did not specify when the countdown would begin or end.

A statement on Lockheed Martin's Web site says Johnson's death "is a shock to everyone in the Lockheed Martin family."

The Saudi ambassador to London described the killing as "an evil act by evil people." He said the Saudis will "continue to use every effort" to fight what he calls this murderous cult."

A State Department spokesman had said minutes before word spread of Johnson's killing that the Saudis were doing everything possible to find Johnson.

Thousands of police had been taking part in the search for the kidnapped American. Security forces were searching for clues in the desert up to 6 miles outside Riyadh on Friday. Police in Saudi Arabia had also been scouring fundamentalist strongholds and stopping cars at checkpoints throughout the city.

But there had been no indication the American contractor was closer to being found. A senior Saudi official in the United States who is familiar with the investigation said U.S. and Saudi officials had few promising leads in their search.

Some Riyadh residents suggested the kidnappers have popular support, partly because of U.S. policy in Iraq and its perceived backing for Israel.

Saudi newspapers quoted unidentified officials Friday as saying the government will not give in to the demands of terrorists.

A former Saudi deputy interior minister said security forces in his country lack sufficient training in fighting terrorists. But he told Saudi TV, "They are learning." He called on average citizens to cooperate more.

Meanwhile, a top Saudi cleric pleaded earlier with the kidnappers to free Johnson. He said in a newspaper column that the terrorists have "trodden the wrong path."

Johnson Family Doesn't Comment

Johnson's family isn't commenting about the news of his death.

A man standing outside the New Jersey townhouse where Johnson's niece lives said the family doesn't want to talk with reporters.

The home had been decorated with yellow ribbons and signs urging people to pray for Johnson's safe return.

Johnson's family had been pleading for the al-Qaida group to release Johnson, saying he loved Saudi Arabia and respected Muslim culture. His son begged for Johnson to be allowed to come home for Father's Day.

Thanom Johnson, the hostage's wife, appealed for her husband's release Thursday. She told the Saudi-owned TV channel Al-Arabiya that seeing a video of her blindfolded husband makes her think of the medicine he needs. In a wavering voice, she pleaded, "Please bring him back to me."

Johnson's friends are expressing their grief in Florida.

People have been dropping by his son's home in Port St. John, dropping off tokens of respect and sympathy.

The slain hostage's son -- Paul Johnson III -- isn't there. He's with family in New Jersey.

One woman and her daughter left a small pink teddy bear at the home, with a note reading, "We are sorry for your loss."

A Gulf War veteran who lives down the street from the younger Johnson was told about the killing and asked, "When is it going to end?"

Candlelight vigils were held Thursday night in Johnson's hometown and in Florida, where he lived before moving to the Middle East.

[rainstorm]

****dances on his rotting corpse****

[Rainband]

Helen...no where in the article did it say his killer was dead.

[chadtm80]

al-Qaida Leader Killed in Saudi Raid

1 hour, 6 minutes ago


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The leader of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia was believed killed in a raid in the capital Friday, hours after his group claimed the beheading of an American engineer, Saudi security officials said.


AP Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: U.S. Hostage in Saudi Arabia Beheaded




A U.S. official confirmed that al-Moqrin has been killed. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.


To establish identities, one Saudi official said forensic tests would be conducted on three bodies of militants killed in a shootout in a downtown neighborhood shortly after the discovery of Paul M. Johnson Jr.'s body.


The killing of Abdulaziz al-Moqrin, 31, would be a coup for the Saudi goverment, which has been under intense pressure to halt a wave of attacks against Westerners in the kingdom.


The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya satellite station, which first reported al-Moqrin's death, said two other militants were also killed in the raid, and another was wounded and arrested. All three dead militants were on Saudi Arabia's list of most wanted men, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Two suspects escaped, he said, said one Saudi security official who took part in the raid.


Al-Moqrin, who trained with Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) in Afghanistan (news - web sites), is believed to be the leader of the group calling itself al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for Johnson's beheading.


Al-Moqrin's group has also claimed responsibility for most attacks against Westerners in Saudi Arabia in the past two months.


___


Associated Press writer Katherine Pfleger Shrader in Washington contributed to this report.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... i_al_qaida

[streetsoldier]

I heard that word on FoxNews about an hour ago...the Saudi spokesman stated earlier that his country's security forces were engaged in a protracted firefight with suspected Al Qaida suspects; the announcement that one of the dead terrorists was the &%*#$%@ in question, along with two others, came out about 4 hours after Al Arabiya played that God-awful tape.

I hope they bury his carcass in pig's blood (thus, assuring that his destination in the afterlife will be on the "down" elevator).

[Josephine96]

He'll end up going to hell anyway because he killed someone else..

[Stephanie]

****dances on his rotting corpse****

I'm next!!!

[Josephine96]

Lets all take turns..

[rainstorm]

awesome!!

[mf_dolphin]

I'll do something on his grave and it won't be dancing!

[Josephine96]

LOL Marshall

[stormchazer]

Its a bit late, but I am smiling!

[Josephine96]

I'll admit.. as sad as it is that this senseless crime happened.. It does put a little less salt on the wound because the suspect was killed as well..

God Bless Paul Johnson's family..

By the way.. My dad worked for Lockheed Martin and Johnson was based out of the Orlando plant {the same 1 where my dad worked}. I wonder if they ever knew 1 another

[WEATHER53]

The killers being killed is a fishy as charter boat chum. The master of avoiding detection they elude authories for years, kidnap and kill an American, and then suddenly turn stupid and joy ride the city to drop off the body?? I was born at night, just not last night.

[streetsoldier]

As I understand it, a local "solid citizen" saw the body dropped off, and gave a good description of the vehicle, its direction and occupants; the security force moved in on that information, and in two hours the b******ds were dead.

This particular terrorist has been a jihadist for 17 years, since his teens...in Bosnia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, and other Muslim areas...and had taken over from the last "mastermind" who the Arab security people killed last March.

Good riddance.

[WEATHER53]

This killing of the killers smells of the Saudis still trying to play it both ways.

[Rainband]

al-Qaida Leader Killed in Saudi Raid

1 hour, 6 minutes ago


RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The leader of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia was believed killed in a raid in the capital Friday, hours after his group claimed the beheading of an American engineer, Saudi security officials said.


AP Photo


AP Photo
Slideshow: U.S. Hostage in Saudi Arabia Beheaded




A U.S. official confirmed that al-Moqrin has been killed. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the information.


To establish identities, one Saudi official said forensic tests would be conducted on three bodies of militants killed in a shootout in a downtown neighborhood shortly after the discovery of Paul M. Johnson Jr.'s body.


The killing of Abdulaziz al-Moqrin, 31, would be a coup for the Saudi goverment, which has been under intense pressure to halt a wave of attacks against Westerners in the kingdom.


The Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya satellite station, which first reported al-Moqrin's death, said two other militants were also killed in the raid, and another was wounded and arrested. All three dead militants were on Saudi Arabia's list of most wanted men, security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.


Two suspects escaped, he said, said one Saudi security official who took part in the raid.


Al-Moqrin, who trained with Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) in Afghanistan (news - web sites), is believed to be the leader of the group calling itself al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for Johnson's beheading.


Al-Moqrin's group has also claimed responsibility for most attacks against Westerners in Saudi Arabia in the past two months.


___


Associated Press writer Katherine Pfleger Shrader in Washington contributed to this report.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... i_al_qaida

Thanks Chad. I was talking about Johns article.

[BEER980]

Speaking of smelling. Now you see him now you don't. <img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_12_2.gif' border=0>


Body of U.S. hostage in Saudi not found

Big News Network | June 19 2004

Saudi Arabia said Saturday the body of a U.S. hostage who was beheaded by suspected al-Qaida terrorists in Riyadh has not yet been found.

Saudi Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz said the body of Paul Johnson Jr., who was beheaded by his abductors Friday night, was still missing Saturday.

He made his comments following prayers at a mosque for a Saudi security officer who died during an exchange of gunfire with the terrorists. The battle took the lives of four of the terrorists involved in Johnson's kidnapping and murder.

Among those killed was the main al-Qaida operative in the kingdom, Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin.

Salman said the killing of the four suspected terrorists and the capture of 12 others was a security achievement and an important step towards wiping out this corrupt gang.

[WEATHER53]

Fishier by the minute. Oh, we can't find the hostage, oh there are the bad guys dumping his body-kill them, oh where is the body????

[TexasStooge]

He'll end up going to hell anyway because he killed someone else..

That's for sure.